What College Is Right for Me?

Students often ask themselves: what college is right for me? Choosing the right college takes time. Different students have various objectives and priorities. For example, your friends might not agree with your college preference, as they may have different academic goals.

Choosing a college is one of the most significant decisions of your life because it is a matter of your career. So, you have to make your decision in this regard carefully.

Following short quiz will help you to decide what type of college is right for you.

Table of Contents

A Public College Is Suitable for You If You:

Prioritize and affordable education
Like diverse culture and socializing with people
Prefer to choose from a variety of electives and majors
Want to participate in student events/organizations

A Private College Is Suitable If You:

Feel comfortable in smaller class size
Wish to study a particular major that a private college offers
Are willing to pay the higher tuition fee or ready to work for financial assistance
Want more individual attention in the settings of the small student to faculty ratio.

Read More: What Is a Good College GPA?

A Large College Is the Right Choice If You:

Like to befriend with people belonging to various backgrounds
Enjoy being part of a large group
Prefer several events and social activities
Plan to have a big network of people

A Small College Is the Right Choice If You:

Love smaller setting or campuses
Like to keep close connections with all your class-fellows and instructors/teachers
Wish to have a strong sense of community
Prefer individuality as compared to being part of a crowd

A Liberal Arts College Is the Right Choice If You:

Like insightful electives and well-rounded studies
Actively want to take part in student orgs
Have not yet decided as to what you want to study.
Plan to attend grad school

A Research School Is Appropriate for You If You:

Wish to concentrate on your major field of study only without focusing on anything else
Plan to join the experts in the field of your study
Prefer high tech labs and state-of-the-art facilities

A Community College Is a Right Choice for You If You:

Plan savings on higher education
Want to move to a four-year university to complete your bachelor degree
Opt to remain close to your home
Are working part-time

A Technical College Is the Right Choice for You If You:

Take an interest in technical education and possess a technical mind
Need an affordable education
Look for a hands-on experience
Prefer a highly career-oriented education

What Type of College Is Right for Me?

One of the above college options may be the best fit for you. If you visit campus and have a discussion with the students, you will get an idea about the overall college environment. In other words, you need to conduct thorough research on colleges before deciding to get admission in the college.

Read More: How to Pay for College?

Following steps will enable you to find the right college

Create Your Shortlist

While making a list of colleges, think about your interests and the salient features of the colleges. Analyze whether the college provides you with an opportunity to pursue your interests academically. Also, take into account location, programs and majors, enrollment size, on-campus facilities, opportunities apart from the classroom, and fees.

Rank Your Preferences

Carefully make rankings based on your priorities, weigh the pros and cons of a specific college while choosing the best college. You need to take into account your needs and wants. Keep in mind the next four years, and these years are of high significance regarding your career.

Avoid Procrastination

Take timely decision by keeping in view the deadline for submitting applications. Generally, the due dates for regular fall admissions are until January. You should have enough time for visiting colleges, taking standardized tests and writing essays. Also, you need to arrange a recommendation letter.

Revisit Colleges

Once you have submitted applications, now you need to think more as to what you want to study. This approach may prompt you to pay another visit to colleges. During your initial visit, you might have had an idea about campus life.

Visit one more time to all the colleges in your list and try to ask at least ten detailed questions that arise in your mind. Make sure you get answers to all of your questions.

Focus on Your Ultimate Objective

Ask yourself what will be your destination after four years. If you identify a decent prospect, consider which institute may help you to achieve your goal. Different colleges have different tuition fees. Typically, private colleges charge higher.

On the other hand, public colleges’ fees are lower. Although private colleges come up with a higher price tag, options for more institutional aid are also available. It suggests that students and their families may avoid paying the full tuition cost.

Explore the College Departments

College rankings play an essential role in the overall decision-making process. However, if you research the department you want to study in, you will have a better idea about the system.

Check job Connections

Investigate a college’s career centre. Ask about job fairs and the opportunities that campus may provide for job interviews. Check whether the campus has enough resources to provide you with the help you need.

Some colleges help students enhance their soft skills; they provide them with employment and salary information. Several colleges promote internship leads, take mock interviews, explain the hiring process and other related aspects.

Analyze the Financial Aid Package

If you plan to pass out from the college with minimum or no debt, carefully make a comparison of financial aid packages. It is better to analyze beyond the tuition and checks what are the other charges.

Similarly, learn the difference among grants, scholarship, loans and free money. Certain colleges offer excellent financial aid packages, and in some cases, they meet the full financial need of the students. It means a student does not need to take loans.

Choose college according to your interest and career goals. Make a shortlist of colleges then visit them and ask questions that may come to your mind.

Top Universities in the World

Ranking	University Name	Tuition fee
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)	48,452 USD
2	Stanford University	47,940 USD
3	Harvard University	47,074 USD
4	University of Oxford	9,250 GBP
5	California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	47,577 USD
6	ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)	1,229 CHF, International tuition 1,229 CHF
7	University of Cambridge	9,250 GBP, International tuition 21,732 GBP
8	UCL (University College London)	Domestic tuition 9,250 GBP, International tuition 17,710 GBP
9	Imperial College London	Local tuition 9,250 GBP
10	University of Chicago	53,649 US